The Coalitions Against Napoleon: How British Money, Manufacturing and Military Power Forged the Alliances that Achieved Victory by William Nester

Author:William Nester
Format: epub

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The Royal Navy’s latest smashing victory over a French fleet came at Basque Roads near the Charente River mouth on Biscay Bay in western France from 11 to 24 April 1809. Admiral Zacharie Allemand commanded eleven ships of the line and two frigates that Admiral James Gambier’s fleet had blockaded for months. The Admiralty sought to break that stand-off by ordering Captain Thomas Cochrane, as aggressive and skilled a commander as Horatio Nelson, to attack that fleet with a squadron of warships preceded by fireboats. Cochrane’s attacks unfolded over a dozen days and eventually resulted in four destroyed French ships of the line and one frigate, while other French warships ran aground to avoid destruction. During these battles, Gambier remained anchored safely with his fleet far beyond cannon shot and rejected Cochrane’s requests for reinforcements. At one point Cochrane with two ships of the line squared off with and battered four French ships of the line. Cochrane was later court-martialled for publicly condemning Gambier’s inaction that led to a limited rather than total victory.

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